Set for Release in US and Canada on 16 November, 2021
Amazon International and US store
Amazon Canada store
@HarperMuse
A Highly Recommended Read
Tea Cooper is a masterful writer. The Cartographer’s Secret draws you in and will not release you until the very end. The Cartographer’s Secret has two heroines, Evie and Letitia, who lived thirty years apart, and an aunt / great-aunt, Olivia, who binds their stories together. All three are independent, strong-headed, and insistent on achieving their goals. And the male characters in The Cartographer’s Secret are strong, independent, and supporting.
As a reader, you first fall in love with Evie, the artist and cartographer (map drawer), who is consumed helping her father solve a great mystery, one she ultimately solves, only to go missing herself. Finding Evie’s secret and what became of her, then becomes the quest that Letitia, known as Lettie, is determined to solve thirty years later.
This Book is About Relationships
The interplay between the three main female characters is full of intrigue and suspense as played out between an early 1880s and 1910s story arcs. The backstory is intricately woven into the current timeline, providing hints as to what happened without giving away the story until the very end.
Besides being a great story, well told with likable characters – characters you want to cheer for – there are two things about this book that really made it a pleasure to read: (1) the use of early new technologies, such as a motor car, of which there were only 400 in Australia in 1910, and (2) animals as supporting characters. Both make the story vivid.
I could not help but compare the benefits of the motor car’s speed and ability for travel versus riding a horse, and the challenges of fixing and running an automobile when in regional areas. A motor was both a boon and risk. Fortunately, Lettie knew her way around operating and fixing the motor!
Animals as Characters
The supporting roles played by horses, dogs and birds was a highlight. I’m not sure I have read a book where the animals played such significant roles progressing the story.
The dogs in the story across both story arcs were named Oxley. And Oxley knew his people! He could immediately help identify who to trust, who was loyal, and who was not. The dogs were always at Evie or Lettie’s side and played a role in uncovering clues.
Did Lettie find out what happened to Evie in the end? Did Olivia find peace, and Lettie, love? You can find out while enjoying a pleasurable romp through Tea Cooper’s The Cartographer’s Secret. This book was hard to put down. The Cartographer’s Secret is a highly recommended read.
The horses played major roles. I remember each horse’s name and the part they played (but will leave that to you to find out reading the book). Elsey, Raven and Rogue all had important roles, as did Denman’s horses pulling the crashed motor car out of the creek. There were also the drovers and their horses moving stock through Yellow Rock, as well as breeding horses for the Army. I really felt a connection to the animals in The Cartographer’s Secret as much as I did to the people!
Release and Purchasing Information
Set for Release in US and Canada on 16 November, 2021
Amazon International and US store
Amazon Canada store
@HarperMuse
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